Baltimore council overrides mayor’s veto of 2 bills protecting hospitality workers

Two union-backed bills designed to protect hospitality workers in Baltimore took effect on December 7, 2020, after the city council voted to override outgoing Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young’s vetoes.

What new laws require

The two bills make it much more difficult for certain employers to do business in Baltimore:

• One bill requires certain employers in the city to maintain a seniority-based preferential hire list for any employees laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The second requires a successor Baltimore hotel employer to (1) retain the incumbent’s workforce in the event of a transfer of ownership for a certain period and (2) refrain from discharging any of the incumbent employees hired during the period except for good cause.

Originally, both bills passed the council with a significant majority, but Mayor Young vetoed them on November 19. The votes to override the vetoes—10-4 for the first measure and 11-3 for the second—occurred on the evening before his last day in office.

Under previous law, 12 votes were needed to override the mayor’s veto. Under a recently passed Baltimore City Charter Amendment that took effect on December 3, however, only 10 votes are now needed.

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